It feels good...

Let me start by saying that I just got a shipment of Matisse and Jack's products...do me a favor, get online and order some of these tasty treats (www.matisseandjacks.com)! The new granola bites and cocoa bars are awesome!!!


It feels so good to be training again!
Yesterday I went for a mountain bike ride and a swim and, in about 30 minutes, I am heading out the door for a long road ride and transition run. I really like this time of year. It is really cold right now but there is something so relaxing to me about riding/running on a sunny, brisk winter morning.
While being sick isn't any fun it does help you realize how lucky we are to healthy and happy. I guess it is safe to say that being sick gives you a bit of a reality check, forcing you to uncover what is truly important to you. The entire time I was sick I wished I could be out training and able to spend time with friends and family. I also realized that too much television is just evil =)
Well, I am off to do what I love. Happy holidays!

Alright, back in action...

Finally, after a week of nothing but extra sleep I am feeling better. Perfect timing for a weekend of training under the good'ol California sun. I am so excited to be back. Like I said in my last post, I try to use my time wisely when I am sick...I obviously can't train or work so I do my best to build my motivation for the coming season. Plus, the down time gave me a chance to perfect my annual training plan. I can say with confidence that 2008 is going to be a solid year packed with great results...I am fired up!
So, I am back and my brand new Elite road bike is in the mail...just in time for christmas! I should have my new machine next week and I will share some pictures once I get it built up.
Happy holidays!

A minor setback

Monday marked the start of my 2008 Xterra campaign and I already have a setback...I am sick. I don't get sick often and when I do I realize how horrible it is. It is really hard for me to just sit around and rest especially when the weather is nice and I would love to be out training. The good thing is that it's December and I still have plenty of time to prepare for my season.
I have learned over the years that you just have to accept it and make sure not to return to training too soon. It is always tempting to jump back into things at the first sign of improvement but this always leads to problems. Really, I use times like these as sources of motivation so that when I do return to training I am grateful to be back and willing to put in the hard work that's needed.
So, here I am on the couch watching television (too much of it) and reading every magazine in the house. I am probably out for 2-3 more days. The good thing is that I get to spend time with Jess and get to catch up on some things that I have been puting off.
That's it from here. Have a good one.

Great weekend and now it's crunch time!

Originally I planned to do some fun, group rides/runs over the weekend as part of my last prep before my base phase, which starts today. Plans changed as Jess and I decided to get the house ready for Christmas (on Saturday) and the great weather opened the doors to some excitement with good friends down at the beach (on Sunday). I will be training for the next 10 or 11 months so an opportunity to spend some time with those closest to me wasn't something I was about to pass up.
Saturday Jess and I bought our Christmas tree and then went on a decorating rampage...with some wine of course!



--Big Mike showing some Christmas spirit

On Sunday, we went down to the beach, got out the cruising bikes and rode along the coast for a little while taking in the beautiful weather. We made it to our destination and put back some tasty apps and a tall beer. After the grub we went into Monterey to catch a movie. Overall, we had a great weekend and it was so nice to spend some quality time with Jess and friends.







Today marks the official start of my 2008 Xterra campaign. I start my first of 3 base phases. This first 3 week base phase will consist of endurance rides and runs (sophie loves this time of year!), master's swim workouts and weights. Nothing will be really hard, just nice and steady to build an aerobic base for more intense training down the road. I am excited to get under way and I feel confident that 2008 will be a very solid year for me. I have set some lofty goals but with hard work they are within reach. Going into my 3rd season I feel like I know what I have to do to achieve my goals, which is a nice feeling. Now it is time to put my plan into action...Xterra 2008 here I come!

Last week of "whatever" training

This weekend we headed up north to Sacramento for two reason...
1. For our niece's b'day party (2 years old)
2. To see Reto run his first marathon

It was fun to get away for a couple days. It was nice to wake up on sunday knowing that I didn't have to race and I could just go as support crew for Reto and the thousands of runners.



--Reto decided to stop for a coke and a chat at mile 21...if you blow up at mile 10 this is probably the right thing to do! What did Reto learn on Sunday...you should probably train for more than 6 weeks if you want to run sub 2:40 and you take the first 1/2 marathon out in 1:18 =) Way to live that "go big or go home" attitude!

After the race we went to the birthday party, ate pizza, and watched a ton of kids run around like crazy for an hour.

It was a fun weekend with plenty of beer drinking and sushi saturday night...thanks for the headache sunday morning Doyal!

Now I am moving into my last week of "whatever" training. I will get in some unstructured workouts and prepare myself for my first base phase, which starts on the 10th. I have my official training plan in place and after a consult with coach Reto I should be off and running toward the 2008 Xterra season.

Update and my plan for the 2008 season

So, I am in the middle of my prep phase of training and it feels good to be back in action. I have only been in the pool once in the last month (2 days ago) and to be honest that one time was rough...I hate being out of shape in the water b/c I feel like I am drowning for the first few weeks until things start to come around.
I am happy with how I feel at this point in the season. I certainly feel out of shape but I feel like things are coming back quickly, which is nice to see. I hit the weight room on tuesday and I am still pretty sore but this is how it always is when you start back with weights...it will get better in a couple of weeks. I will be in the weight room a lot this winter in an effort to build the strength I need to ride fast. Weight training and massive amounts of time on two wheels will hopefully bring my riding to the level it needs to be at for next year. Quite honestly, I didn't dedicated enough time last year to riding so I will be putting in tons of miles over the next few months. Swimming and running will obviously get some attention but riding will come first...it will be fun to see how my body reacts to bike specific training. Back in college I raced my bike for two years (no triathlon training) and in those two years I saw a dramatic jump in my riding abilities b/c of all of the racing and miles I put into my legs. So, I know I can ride fast b/c I have done it before but it will require the same focus and dedication I had back in college...I welcome the challenge!

Here is my race schedule for 2008:
-12 hours of Temecula (January 26th, 2 man team)
-24 hours of Old Pueblo (Tucson, February 16th, 4 man team)
-Xterra Real (Folsom, March 30th)
-Sea Otter Classic (Monterey, April 17th-21st)
-Xterra Extreme (Arizona, April 26th)
-Xterra Castaic Lake (Castaic, tba)
-Xterra West Championships (Temecula, May 18th)
-Xterra Southeast Championships (Pelham, June 8th)
-Xterra East Championships (Richmond, June 15th)
-*70.3 (Texas, June 29th)
-Xterra Mountain Championships (Ogden, August 16th)
-Xterra Nationals (Incline Village, September 21st)
-Xterra Worlds (Maui, October 19th)
-*Ironman Arizona (Tempe, November 23rd)
-I will also be doing several mountain bike races and a couple duathlons throughout the season as prep for more important races.

*Still up in the air on these. My focus is Xterra so I will decide based on how my Xterra season is going.

I will work on getting some pictures up soon...I have been a bit lazy with this end of things.
Thanks for reading. Talk to you all soon.

And it begins...

I offically started my prep phase of training on monday. Prep means that I will be preparing my body for longer more structured training to come. In the prep phase there is a lot of freedom and flexibility. Basically I focus on getting in some short, fun workouts and pay more attention to my diet. I like this time of year b/c I can just head out the door with the simple goal of enjoying a nice day doing something I love. This phase will last for about 3 weeks.

Of course, every year at this time I do something stupid like ride for way too long or run some crazy distance. Not sure why I do it but I always get the urge to just go for it. So, my traditional "stupid" training day was on monday with Reto. I went for a mountain bike ride to test out some things I have chaged and then went into the santa cruz mountains for a 2 hour death march. Things were obviously set up for disaster as reto is training for a marathon and I have been building my biceps through the ever difficult task of marathon beer drinking. I figured I am not totally off the wagon in terms of fitness...I did just come off of a full racing season. Nice thought but my thinking is a little off this time of year.

So, I survived the "stupid" run of the year...2 hours of running with tons of climbing. Even reto was suprised I finished...way to believe in your athlete coach ;) I guess all that "carbo-loading" paid off after all! Overall, it was an incredible day in the mountains. You know, it might be stupid to just go out there and train like an idiot so early in the season but, for me, this type of stuff keeps the fire burning and really motivates me. Plus, it helps me clear my head and allows me to really evaluate and pinpoint what I want to accomplish in the coming year. So, stupid yes but also very productive.

For me, doing a super long training day early in the season when I feel fat and out of shape is motivating b/c it makes me realize that I have some serious work to do and I don't want to feel this way for long. For non-athlete's this would likely be discouraging but for us crazy triathlete's this feeling is what pushes us and takes our performance to new heights.

Something tells me I will do something "stupid" again very soon but this time it will probably be on the bike...stay tuned for that story. Early season long rides always make for good stories =)

Happy Thanksgiving!